Wind's Nocturne
by Leafy
Summary: First story here about 004, somewhat dark, and humerous, but angsty none the less *Updated*
1. Nightmares

Disclaimer: I do not own Cyborg 009 or anything in relation to it, I wish I did though ;_;  
  
General warning: This story is rather dark and depressing, the weak of heart and mind are not reccomended to read this story.  
  
Author's note: Yey X3 a 004 fic *is giddy with joy* I hope you enjoy! And please review, I do love reviews, they make the Leafy verrrry happy X3 and there will eventually be fanart for this, I'll post a link when it's up n___n  
  
004 awoke from a deep sleep, his chest heaving and his body covered in a cold sweat that had begun to chill him to the bone. He wiped the sweat from his eyes and took a deep breath, recalling the nightmare that had beed plauging him for the past few weeks. A girl, strapped to a table somewhere, undergoing the same operation he had one through, but while his was done in a drug induced haze, she was awake, and screaming. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the image of her piercing violet eyes haunting him, accusing him. The alarm clock on the table beside him read a clean four in the morning, he knew he'd get no more sleep tonight, and opted for a hot shower instead.  
  
He stood in the shower, letting the hot water rinse away his worries as his silver eyes stared blankly at the wall, wondering what the signifigance of the dreams was supposed to be. The metallic glint of his right hand caught his eye, he brought it up to his face, and set it against his cheek, remembering the hand he once had and what his life had been like before Black Ghost had come and ruined it. His left hand collided with the wall, a small thud the result as he sank to the floor of the shower, sefl pity washing over him like a flood.   
  
When the water turned cold, he reluctantly turned it off and began to dry himself carefully, making sure his mechanical parts were dry before wrapping the towel around his waist and pausing in front of the mirror over the sink, the man staring back athim he barely recognized anymore, he put on a magnificent facade, one that G.B. would be envious of, but on the inside his will, his heart, and the thing dearest to him, his humanity were all breaking. Now the reality was beginning to sink in, and the more real everything became, the more he hated and resented himself.   
  
He quickly dressed, wearing a black leather trenchcoat and gloves over a simple white button up shirt and black slacks, his moonlight colored sjin was a glimmering testament that he rarely left home now, and his quicksilver hair, a trait inherited from his parents. The streets were cast in a cold pre-dawn light and deserted, leaving only the homeless sleeping on apartment stoops for warmth as proof that any people actually lived here. The pale cold moon still hung in the sky, cheshire grin mocking him as its silver light flowed over him, making him look even more like an etherial being. A tiny coffee shop called to him, beconing him inside the dimly lit interior, the soothing smells and sounds of freshly brewing coffee a welcome distraction from his routine.  
  
"What'll it be mister?" A plainly dressed waitress asked, her fried hair piled atop her head, overdone peacock blue eyeshadow glared at him from above her eyes, as she irritatedly chewed a piece of bubblegum. "Just a cup of coffee." He said dully, staring out the window, waiting for her to return. She came back quickly, setting the brimming cup in front of him, staring at him oddly for a moment before going back to washing cups and pots. Beside her, a small tv blared the morning news, a pair of anchors chatting candidly. His first dip of the searing coffee was interrupted as the anchors began chatting about a young woman with black hair and violet eyes that had gone missing recently. He looked over at the tv, eyes wide and unbelieving as the face of the girl on the screen was the same girl who haunted his dreams. A cold chill ran down his spine at the realization that the dream might not have been a dream after all. He quickly finished his coffee, paid the waitress and ran back to his flat at top speed, bursting through the door and grabbing the phone from its cradle, dialing quickly.  
  
"Hello?" A confused voice asked from the other end of the line, "Hey, 003, its 004, I need to speak with the professor right away." He said urgently, pacing around the room as he waited, then explained the whole story to the professor and waited with baited breath for the professor to give him an answer. "Could it be possible that perhaps we've missed one of Black Ghost's bases?" The professor wondered aloud, as 004 began to wear a hole in the carpet from his pacing. "I have to know." 004 growled, mostly to himself, a feeling of hopelessness beginning to fill his chest. "There is one that we didn't blow up, but it had been abandoned before we reached it, is it possible that perhaps some of Black Ghost's followers went back and started up the cyborg operation once more?" The professor hypothesized as 004's eyes widened, remembering the base clearly. "Professor, do you still have the dolphin?" He cut in, interrupting the professor's train of thought, "Well, yes we do, why?" He asked feeling confused. "Good, call 002 and 009, tell them to meet me at your place tomorrow." He said as the doctor stuttered, "If this girl dies, then I'll never be able to forgive myself." 004 said, and hung up the phone, turning to his closet and pulling out his old uniform and running to his car, preparing himself for the day and a half drive ahead of himself.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Is it good? you like? yes? no? maybe? please review, warning, all flaming will be printed and used to toast marshmallows... mmmm.... s'mores.... n____n;; 


	2. Of fire and flight

For Disclaimers and whatnot, please go back to chapter 1  
  
Thank you people who reviewed XD and leif, I have to agree, 002 is too cool for words, but 004 has that kinda mysterious aura about him X3 he's too great *dies from overload of 004 greatness*  
  
_ I'm not dead yet n_n so on with the show!  
  
As soon as he arrived they departed, headed directly for the forgotten base, located in the middle of the vast Sahara Desert. Golden sand dunes glimmered up at them from below the dolphin, as it rode the gentle currents and drafts, navagating the sea of sand only by navagation. They landed in the cleft of a sandy valley, the wind lifting individual grain of sand, sending it flying at them, each little fleck stinging as it struck. The sun had begun to dip down to the west, the sky taking on a glorious red hue as the flaming ball began to sink into the sea of sand. "I hope you're right about this." 002 said glancing over at 004, as the silver eyed cyborg stared at the sand dunes around them, looking for the entrance to the base, "I hope I am too." 004 said softly, more to himself than the other two cyborgs. A glint of steel caught his eye, he turned, seeing a hole cut into the side of a dune, a steel overhang helping to keep the sand out. "There." 004 said, pointing with his gun hand, as he began to walk toward t, 002 and 009 followed quickly, and without question or complaint, for they had already been given details about this mission from Dr. Gilmore, though they still wondered about what had brought such a drastic change to 004's attitude, on the flight he had been uncharacteristically quiet, making even 002's 20 word quota sound chatty.  
  
The entrance loomed over them, dark and forboding as Black Ghost himself, the fresh scents of gasoline and oil hung in the air, proof that the base had been put back into operation. "Least the could do is give us a door to break down." 002 muttered, seeing that the building was devoid of anything designed to keep the inside closed. 004 continued his march into the base, silver eyes cold as steel, gun hand raised, ready to fire. 002 and 009 ran to catch up with him, as he approached a guard post, a small man supposed to be on duty was leanin back in a chair, snoring loudly. "The security system needs work too." 009 muttered, looking around at the badly built base. "This way." 004 said and turned down a hallway after hearing a pained scream.   
  
The screams grew louder, sounding animalistic, almost carnal in their intensity, 002 and 009 shuddered as a particularly loud one peirced the air. A single steel reinforced window and door at the end of the long white hallway showed a gruesom battle of willpower and determination. A group of men were all gathered around an object on the floor, holding it down as a man in a white lab coat stood over it, large syringe in hand. A particularly large one was knocked off by a flailing foot, giving the cyborgs a glimpse of what the men were holding down. "Its her." 004 growled, his entire face darkened with rage as his eyes took on the intensity of molten steel. He kicked the door in, striking a man or two with it as the lab coated man grabbed a large dart gun and shot before 004 could stop him, the dart buried itself into the girl's thigh, injecting her with a yellowish fluid. She was quickly dropped into a steel cage as the men holding her went to take their chances with the cyborgs.   
  
A bloody battle ensued, 004 grabbed the scientist as he tried to escape, "Why are you doing this?" he growled, pressing the smaller man against the wall, the little man had the gall to laugh, "I must complete what my lord Black Ghost started!" He yelled and began laughing maniacally. The laughted was instantly quieted with a neck breaking punch, the sounds of breaking bones rising above the fight. 004 ran to the cage and unlatched it, pulling the dart out of the girl's thigh, her pained yelp the only indication that she was still conscious, "I've got her, lets go!" 004 yelled as he lifted the girl gently, cradling her in his arms. As they ran out 004 handed her to 009, "Go back to the dolphin, I have some unfinished business!" He yelled and ran back to the base, dropping to the ground and launching a rocked from his thigh, the ensuing explosion caveing the roof in atop the men that were chasing them. He quickly got to his feet and ran back to where dolphin sat, engines warming up and preparing for takeoff.   
  
004 closed the hatch behind himself and leaned against the wall wearily, the unchecked rage from only moments before taking a toll on his energy levels. 009 walked over, carrying the girl akwardly, "Would you like to take her so I can drive?" he asked, a small grin on his face. 004 nodded and took her into his arms again, this time noticing how lightweight she was, and the ugly purple bruises that marred her cream colored skin. He sank into his chair with a sigh, feeling weak kneed and tired from the drive and the flight, she stirred in his arms and he looked down at her as she snuggled into his chest, making the whole ordeal worthwhile.   
  
Somehow he had drifted off to sleep, awaking to find that they had landed and his head was resting comfortably against hers. "Thanks guys." 004 said sleepily, "I couldn't have done this without you." He added as he carried the girl out of the ship and into the house, setting her down on a cot in the infirmary, the doctor came in and looked her over as 003 began taking care of her wounds. Before 004 knew what was happening he had fallen onto the next cot, eyes closed and already asleep.   
  
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Kinda short, sorry, but I promised the next on'll be better n_~ 


	3. Zephyer

Once again for a disclaimer, please go back to chapter 1  
  
Yey n_n I'm back to raise a few more deamons, and those of you who guessed relationship possibilities, n_~ you'll have to wait and see X3 *still has the image of ego damaged 004 in tears stuck in her head* as bad as I feel for him about that... you can't NOT laugh at that XD. Kudos QoD! XD  
  
Thanks for the critique Elessar! *does the jig of joy*   
  
Man this chapter makes me wish I could draw him ;_; stupid broken arm _ *starts chewing on the cast again*   
  
Let the games begin!  
  
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He awoke the next morning feeling oddly refreshed and a bit confused, the sun was already up and shining, and in the next cot lay the girl, still sleeping peacefully, the effects of the tranqualizer having not worn off yet. He stretched lazily and looked down to see that he was still wearing the red suit and yellow scarf from yesterday's fight. A deep sigh escaped him as he rose and left the room, hunting for the clothes he had worn yesterday and another shower, the blood on his hands disturbing him greatly.   
  
The light footfalls of a person in the room were thee first things she slowly became aware of as the cloudy have that kept her captive slowly began to evaporate. Her eyes snapped open and she found herself looking directly at a foriegn ceiling, "Its nice to see that you're awake." A deep voice off to her left said gently. She reacted as though he had slapped her, jumping off the bed in a flash and falling to the floor with a crash, arms and legs flailing, "What did you do to me?" She cried, her voice quickly rising to a panicked pitch, her limbs moving jerkily. "Shhhhh.... Calm down, you're going to hurt yourself." He said as he kneeled beside her, catching both her wrist in one of his large hands. Her large violet eyes locked on his, anger, fear, sorrow and frustration clearly readable in her eyes while a gentle warmth radiated from his. "What do you want from me?" She snarled, expecting this to be nothing but a cruel trick. "Would you believe me if I sais I wanted nothing at all from you?" He replied, still trying to remain calm and collected. "No! I can't trust you." She yipped defiantly, the glare in her eyes crualy boring a hole through his heart. His composure snapped, "Well fine, I would have at least thought that you would have shown some gratitude to the man that just saved your life from being turned into that of a mindless robot." He snapped, dumping her back onto the cot, grabbing his coat and walking out of the room. A sigh escaped her, his words stinging her like a slap, though she wouldn't admit that he was right.  
  
He sighed angrily as he walked into the living room, coming upon Dr. Gilmore seated comfortably in a recliner, a large book spread across his lap, "How's she doing?" The little man queried, looking up and adjusting his glasses. "Oh she's fine, feisty, and mean as a shark." He growled walking into the kitchen and helping himself to a glass of orange juice. "What?" The doctor asked, eyes widening comically. "You heard me, if her bite is worse than her bark, then I don't want to be anywhere near bitinng distance." 004 said, clearly annoyed by the sudden turn of events. "She can't possibly be that bad, think about it, you weren't too pleasant either when you got out. Just be patient." The doctor said, remembering clearly how irritable everyone had been in the beginning. "I'm just dissappointed, I didn't expect to be treated like I was the enemy, she is just as mean as she is beautiful." He sighed angrily. "I heard that." She said rounding the corner, holding on to the wall for support, her knees still wobbly from being drugged.  
  
004 turned his back to her, "You shouldn't be out of bed yet." He growled, then downed the glass. "Ha! I'll decide what I can and cannot do!" She snapped back and dumped herself onto the nearest couch, panting from exertion. "Well if that's the way you want to do it, then fine, I don't care anymore." He said walking away and into a spare bedroom, slamming the door behind himself. "He's usually so calm, I don't know what's bothering him." Dr. Gimore said returning to his book, unphased by the outburst. She looked down at herself and the state of her clothing, "Do you have a bathroom I can use?" She asked meekly, her attitude doing a complete 180 from her angry yelling. The doctor looked up at her, smilimg kindly, "There, thats better now, I heard you bit like a poisonious snake." He said with a chuckle, causing an embarassed blush to rise in her cheeks, he smiled at her, "The bathroom is this way." He said rising from his chair and leading her down the same hallway 004 had dissappeared into moments before, she followed him nervously, watching as the man pulled a towel from a closet and hand it to her, "The bathroom is here, feel free to use it as you please." He said smiling at her. She graced him with a return grin and hopped into the bathroom, eager to be clean again.  
  
004 peeked out the door an hour later, seeing neither the girl or the doctor anywhere in sight, he sighed and walked out of the room, setting his cup in the sink and walking toward the bathroom, his hand turning the knob as the doctor walked out of his room, seeing the impending catastrophy, "Don't!" He yelled, but he was too late, Pandora's box had already boon opened. The girl looked over to see him standing in the doorway the same moment he looked up a her half toweled body and met her eyes, she screamed furiously and unleashed an arsenal or rockets at him, knocking him into the wall behind him. He scrambled back to his feet and ran to his room, quickly slamming the door behind himself. He leaned against the door, pale as a sheet, the remaind of his shirt hanging in burned rags over him. The doctor stood in the charred hallway, feeling partially at fault for not being there to warn 004 sooner. On the other side of the bathroom door, she leaned on the sink, face burning with embarassment as she seethed with rage. The doctor knocked on 004's door, "Are you ok?"He asked seeing the way he had fled. "I'll be fine, but I need a new shirt." He called back, unwilling to open the door. "Well, good. I have an errand I need you to run with me, the girl needs clothes and you need a shirt." The little man said cheerfully, seemingly oblivious of their hatred of each other. "What?!" 004 yelled throwing open the door, "She just tried to kill me, and now you're asking me to do something for her?" He asked in disbelief, a few patches of charred hair standing on end. "Not quite, we'll be going seperate places, I just need you to drive." He said smiling, "I promise she'll leave you alone." He said, the same ridiculous grin plastered to his face. "I don't know why I'm agreeing but you owe me." 004 said angrily and grabbed his coat, brushing away the ruined remaind of his shirt before throwing the coat on.  
  
Barely an hour later, 004 found himself en route to the mall, the girl in the back seat with the doctor, looking as thrilled as he did about being in such close quarters. Fortunately for them, the mall way only a short distance away, and as soon as he parked they car they nearly ran away from each other in their eagerness to seperate. He soon found himself in a clothing shop, personal problems mementarily forgotten as the shopping dance began, sales clerks swooping in on him like buzzards, dancing around each other in their eagerness to earn his sale. He pushed them all aside and went around by himself, fingering the material of different shirts, continuing until he found one to his liking, picking it up and continuing, looking at every shirt in the store, selecting three, then entering the changing room to try the shirts before he paid for them.  
  
Across the mall another sales dance was taking place, this time on a larger scale as the girl moved through the store, the doctor waving the vultures away. He willingly paid for her clothing, liking the more relaxed and friendly personality she now now displayed. Soon she was dressed elegantly, her new clothing making her appear more sleek and well bred. "Thank you very much." She said as they walked into yet another store, picking out a coat, for this autunm had brought warm days, but freezing cold nights as well. He smiled at her, "I hope you don't mind my asking, but what s it about 004 that bothers you so?" He asked innocently, awaiting her reply. "Who?" She asked, not knowing her tornmentor by name. "Uh, the man you tried to blow up earlier, 004, or if you'd prefer, Albert." He said realizing that they had never traded names, only blows. She stopped dead in her tracks, "Everything, he's arrogant, he's cocky, he's... I don't know." She said looking away. "He just gets me so angry that I can't think straight." She said leaning on a store front.  
  
At a table on the outside edge of the food court 004 sat, watching them talk. A cup of coffee sat in his hands, newly purchased black glasses hiding his eyes, open trench coat falling loosely around him, new white shirt shining crisp and clean against the dark outline. He could see her shaking her head, acting like a totally different person around the doctor than she acted around him, a slight twinge of jealousy ate at him, but he blew it off, she was safe, and he could now live nightmare free again. They started walking again, this time toward him and he looked quickly away, acting like he hadn't seen them.  
  
The doctor quickly spotted 004 through the crowds and made a beeline toward him, the girl in tow, when she looked up, she nearly stopped walking, her eyes widening in suprise at Albert, looking like a fallen Greecian God. "All done 004?" The doctor asked, completely oblivious to the explosive tension he stood between. No more than a few seconds had passed and she already wanted to kill him again. "I'm done, we can go whenever you like." He said deliberately ignoring the girl. "Oh goodie, then lets be off, Yfael and I are all finished." The doctor said with a grin. "Yfael?" 004 asked looking confused. "Me." the girl snapped, "I do have a name too you know." She growled sullenly. He gave a half hearted nod and began walking away, tossing the remainder of his coffee into a nearby trash can and shoving his hands into his pockets. Yfael and Dr. Gilmore followed 004 quietly, leaving him to his own thoughts.  
  
The car ride back to the base was deathly quiet, the exception being Dr. Gilmore who was humming happily, off in his own little world as 004 thought only about leaving for home after dropping them off at the base. "Oh, that reminds me," 004 cringed at the doctor's words, "004, would you do me another favor and take Yfael home on your way home?" The doctor asked, grinning innocently. "WHAT?!" They roared in unison as he slammed on the brakes and pulled into a gas station. "No way am I taking her home!" He yelled, eyes almost bulging out of his skull. "No way am I staying in a car with him for that long." She cried wearing the exact same expression as 004. "Great! Then we're in agreement,you can leave whenever you're ready to go." The little man said happily, not realizing that he was seconds away from being pummeled to within an inch of his life. 004 gripped the steering wheel tightly, holding back his murderous thoughts and intentions. "Fine, I'll do it, but not a word out of you unless I ask." He said firmly, pointing at Yfael. "Ha! No worries there." She snapped back at him, crossing her arms belligerently. "Great! You two agreed on something." The doctor said happily, grinning up a storm. Their eyes widened as they snorted in unison, then looked up at each other and dropped their eyes to the floor in irritation.  
  
The tension during the rest of the ride was thick enough to choke on, the cheerful doctor seemingly immune to angry emotions. They arrived to a suprisingly crowded house, 007, 006, 002, 009 and 001 had all gathered for an impromptu lunch, hoping to suprise the doctor. 004 stalked through the house, successfully evading everyone, then out onto the terrace, pausing to climb up onto the roof, feeling completely anti social. Yfael stayed with the doctor, walking in to meet the other 00 cyborgs. "Hey, Dr. Gilmore, what happened to the hallway?" 009 asked, thick eyebrows quirking curiously. "That's my fault." Yfael offered, blushing from embarassment, "There was a minor accident and I over reacted." She said with a lopsided grin."Ah, hey, I remember you, you're the girl we saved the other day." 009 said happily, "How are you?" He asked grinning widely, and shaking her hand. "I'm doing good, I get to go home today." She said with a bright smile. He smiled in return, "I'n glad, you were lucky we got there when we did, or who knows what they might have done to you." He said with a shrug, "Wait, who's 'we'?" She asked curiously, wondering just who she was now indebted to. "Well, myself, 002 over there and 004, in fact, it was him who made us go out there to save you because of some nightmare he had about you." He replied, then bounced over to help 006 with plateing food.  
  
She stood there for a long moment, realization hitting her full in the face, "I've already screwed up." She said shaking her head, then she went further into the gathering, pausing to thank 002 and 009 for saving her. "It feels good to know that there's another girl girl int the group." 003 bubbled cheerily. 007 made her laugh by transforming himself into 002, striking poses and yelling some of his well known catch phrases. 002 chased 007 out the back door, pouncing on him as they rolled down the slope. She ran out after them laughing, then looked around and up at him, her smile falling the moment she set eyes on him, she looked quickly away and moved back into the house before he could take another breath. "What are you doing up here?" 002 asked, landing on the roof beside his long time friend. "Well, I was hiding, but as I can see, its not working." 004 replied with a sarcastic grin. "Well, come on down, you're being missed, and I don't think you want 007 filling in your your shoes." 002 said with a teasing laugh, 004 relented and got to his feet, "Race you down." He said as he jumped off the roof, landing with a light bounce, and running inside, trying to squeeze through at the exact same time as 002. They hit the floor in a tangle of limbs, laughing loudly at each other. Yfael looked over, suprised to see him laughing, looking so relaxed and happy.  
  
"So what's for lunch?" 004 asked coming into the kitchen. "Ah you! My favorite potato peeler, there's a pile of them there with your name." 006 said gleefully, pointing to a large basket on the counter with his wisk. "You havent seen me in years! This is how you greet me? With potatoes?" 004 said with mock sorrow, clutching a hand to his heart and wipeing away a false tear from under his eye. "I'll send my knife to greet you." 006 threatened, "Ok, I give." He said laughing and removed his coat and gloves, tossing them onto a chair, then removing his glasses and slipping them into his pants pocket as he picked up a peeler and started in on the pile. Yfael watched the ease in which they laughed and teased each other, their closeness as a group a rare thing to see anywhere.  
  
She walked out of the kitchen, heading back out to the terrace, enjoying the powerful breeze, feeling it run its fingers through her hair, carrying the heavy glimering mass of it easily. The winds smelled of the sea, something she had never experienced back home, she walked down the slope, looking out over the vast ocean ahead of her. "Wishing on a dream that seems far off," She sang, pausing to clear her throat, "Hoping it will come today, into the starlit night, foolish dreamers turn their gaze, waiting for a shooting star." The wind carried her voice back to the house as 004 came out to take a break, he stopped in the doorway, watching her sit and continue singing. "But, what if that star is not to come, will thier dreams fade to nothing? When the horizon darkens most, we all need to belive there is hope. Is an angel watching closely over me, can there be a guiding I've yet to see, I know my heart should guide me but, there's a hole in my soul. What will fill this emptiness inside of me? Am I to be satisfied without knowing, I'll wait then for a chance to see, now all I need, is my, star to come." She sang, her voice choked with emotion. 004 sighed sadly, her song having struck a chord in his own soul.  
  
Lunch was soon finished and 003 went around, tracking down everyone that had snuck off and brought them back to the table. "Wow! This looks great!" 009 exclaimed, setting his eyes on the spread before him. Everyone soon occupied all the spaces in the living room, the close quarters keeping the conversation going, for Yfael it was a learning experience, she learned about everyone's quirks and the laughter that seemed to bind them together. She would definately miss these wonderful people after she returned home, the thought of it making her shiver and feel hollow inside. "Hey Yfael, give me your number before you go, maybe you can come back and visit us sometime." 003 said looking over at the girl, Yfael grinned, "I'd like that."  
  
004 sighed from across the room, wondering what it was about himself that made her act like he was the worst thing in the world. "What's wrong?" 007 asked, noticing his friend's faraway look. "Oh, its her, I can't go near her without her acting like I'm going to bite her, or vice versa." He sait irritatedly. "Ooooh, so that's why the hallway looks like a warzone." 007 speculated, an evil grin on his face. "Yeah, I walke in on her after she had taken a shower and was almost got blown to bits." He said with a chuckle at the memory, 007's eyes widened, "So what did you see?" He asked elbowing him in the ribs, silence was his only answer as 004 walked away, scraping his plate and dropping it into the sink, grabbing his coat. He reluctantly walked over to the girl, tapping her lightly on the shoulder and withdrawing quickly before she could bite him. She turned with a smile on her face until she saw him, then the smile vanished and her eyes hardened. "What?" She growled, looking like she really would bite him. "Its time to be going." He said gently, not wanting to get blown up again. She nodded sullenly and turned back to the group. "Its time for me to be going, from what I'm hearing, its going to be a reallt long drive." She said apologetically, and got to her feet, going around the room hugging everyone with the exception of 004. 003 walked over to 004 and gave him a warm hug, "Don't be such a stranger, call us, drop by, something, anything, we miss you." She said smiling at him. "I'll be around." He said with a smile, turning to see Yfael staring at him with an expression of near jealousy in her eyes. "Ready to go?" He asked opening the door, she nodded icily and walked outside, "Wish me luck on getting home alive." he mumbled, then walked out the door after her, hopping into his car and driving out of sight.  
  
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I promised you a long one @_@;;; the time here is 5 am whee....need sleep.... well the merry misadventures will continue n_n there are at least two more explosions in the next chapter, (how I love misunderstandings X3) and plenty more fun where that came from, I'll do the next chapter after I've slept for a day and bought some more no-doze x_x;; night! 


	4. Women are like onions

For disclaimer go back to chapter 1  
  
back again n_n I had to trade my no-doze for yes-doze, and sleep is verrrry good X3   
  
Did her attitude suprise you? I kinda had fun writing through a mean P.O.V. Well, once again, no lovey dovey stuff in this chapter, but I can promise some tears and a few explosions XD   
  
004: You're evil _ *is tied to a chair*  
  
Yfale: I hate you! *grabs a baseball bat*  
  
Leafy: O_O Squeeeee! *runs away*   
  
_ Is she gone? @_@;; I'd better finish this before I'm the one that dies. *sees Yfael coming* Ahhhh! Gotta go! *zips off to go find a rock to hide under*  
  
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Several hours had passed, the only thing cutting through the heavy silence was the radio, soft jazz music flowed through the speakers, providining a comforting atmosphere through the forboding silence. She watched him through the corner of her eye, his thumbs gently tapping on the steering wheel in time to the music, determined to enjoy himself regardless of the circumstances. It had been several miles since they had last passed an exit and he frowned, it was nearly eight o'clock, neither of them had had any dinner yet, and he needed to find a place to sleep, if he drove through the night he'd fall asleep behind the wheel, a yawn confirming that to himself. Her eyes widened as they pulled off the highway and into the parking lot of a small, fairly clean motel. "Don't worry, I'm getting us seperate rooms." He said coldly, noting her expression. Her eyes narrowed as she turned at glared at him, dammed if she would break her vow to him from earlier.   
  
He walked into the office, leaving her in the car to wait, "I'd like two rooms just for the night." He said walking over to a man behind the counter, the man looked over at him half heartedly, "Can't do that son, got a convention goin' on, I'm almost fullup. But I can offer you a single room with double beds." He said with a shrug, then grinned, showing off half rotted teeth. Albert steeled himself, "Hold on for a moment, I'll be right back." He said backing out of the door.  
  
"You're not going to believe me when I tell you this, but they only have one available room that they can put two beds into." He said with a sigh, steeling himself for the verbal abuse he expected to explode from her at any moment. She sighed, gritting her teeth so hard she thought they were going to crack, "Its...not...your...fault." She said, her words forced, trying not to yell at him just yet. "Is there anywhere else we can go?" She asked, looking at him, her eyes cold and steely, but suprisingly not accusing. He regretfully shook his head, "The nearest town is an hour away." He said looking over in the direction of it. An irritated sigh escaped her. "Fine, we sleep here tonight then, but I warn you now, if you do anything, I'm blasting you the rest of the way home." She said, the threat clear in her eyes. A suprised glance from him to her let her know he was paying attention as he nodded. "Ok, I'll go pay and I'll be back." He said leaving again and dissappearing into the building.   
  
A little while later they found themselves searching for dinner, the only things available were a small variety of fast food chains. They both snorted at the thought and looked at each other accusingly as though the other had timed the snort on purpose. Albert finally gave up and pulled into the parking lot of the cleaner building, parking the car and going inside, finding the place completely devoid of customers. Yfael came over to his side as he stood at the counter eyeing the menue, speculation clearly readable on his features. A tiny girl ran up from the back, drying her hands on her pants. "Hi, can I help you?" She asked brightly, a grin on her face. He sighed and ordered a sandwich that looked decent and looked down at Yfael, motioning for her to order as well. She ordered a different sandwich purposely, since the one he had gotten was the one she wanted. As he paid she reached for her cup, taking it over to the fountain and filling it to the top, placing a lid over it and sliding into a booth near the counter. "Is she your girlfriend?" The cashier asked, trying to make friendly conversation. He heard an angry snort and sputter behind him and forced back a chuckle, "No, I'm just taking her home." He said with a bemused grin. "Oh, I was just about to comment on what a cute couple you made." She said with a shrug as she placed their food on the tray. The soda she had made the mistake of sipping while the girl talked quickly found its way int her lungs and out her nose, the carbonated liquid burning the delicate tissues of her nasal cavity as she struggled for breath, her lungs deciding that they didn't appreciate the dousing.  
  
He filled his cup, watching her cough and snort up a storm, seeing that, he reached for more napkins and sat down across from her in the booth, handing the pile to her. She eyed him almost gratefully and blew her nose, expeling most of the burning liquid, leaving her free to clear her lungs. After a fit of coughing, she could breathe easily and set into her sandwich, suprised that it was rather good, for where they were. "You ok now?" he asked, feeling safe enough to speak since she had calmed down, "Yeah." She said and looked out across the small restraunt, noticing the barren neatness of it, her cold gaze softening when her eyes landed on an outdoor playset, the kind she had loved when she was little. He followed her gaze curiously, seeing the playset as well and understanding instantly. "Ready to go?" He asked crumbling the wrapper from his sandwich, startling her out of her memory, "Wha? Oh, yes." She said as she remembered who she was with and walked out to the car, waiting for him there as he threw away their trash.  
  
"Time to get some sleep." He said to himself as he pulled the key to their room out of his pocket and stuck it into the door, turning the knob at the same time. "This has to be a mistake." He said, his jaw dropping, instead of two single beds, there was one double bed in the room. "You've got to be kidding!" She said peering under his arm, then turned and started walking toward the office, Albert following on her heels. "There has to be a mistake, we paid for a room with two single beds, not one double bed." She said, plainly irritated, but being nicer to that idiot than she was to Albert. "Nope, sorry missy, I got one double bed here." He said tapping on his clip board. "And its too late to change it, the staff's already gone." He drawled, attitude and accent beginning to irritate her. "Fine." She said and stormed out of the office, Albert gave the man a cold glare, "I'm not going to be held responsible for any damage that comes to that room." He said shaking his head firmly and walking out after her, running to catch up. "We're both adults, we can find a solution." He said optimistically, as he looked around the room, seeing only the bed, a night stand, and the bathroom sink. "We can share the bed. but I warn you, if I wake up and see a single part of your body past the dividing line, I will kill you while you're sleeping." She said glaring at him, frustration at this situation making her abnormally irate. "I agree, now good night." He said removing his coat, gloves and shoes, sliding into bed beside her, adjusting his pillow and closing his eyes.  
  
She sat on the edge of the bed, side awake, though she was sure that Albert was already fast asleep. On an inspection of the nightstand she found a pad of hotel paper and a pen, but nothing else, she made herself comfortable and began to list things that she had needed to do once she got home.  
  
1. Polish the insturments  
  
2. Call work  
  
3. Buy another door lock  
  
4. Finish concherto  
  
5. Find a way to repay Albert  
  
She wrote the last one as an afterthought, he had fought the idea of taking her home, but he had been nothing but nice to her, though she had been anything but nice in return. "What's wrong with me?" She whispered aloud, rubbing a hand across her forehead. "You're not asleep." Albert said, a hint of laughter in his voice, "Now turn off that light and get some rest, that's an order." A wide grin split his face in half, already imagining the expression of rage on her face. She punched him in the sjoulder, not anywhere near as had as she would have liked, but it would do well enough for the time being. "Humph." She snorted and turned of the light, tossing the noetpad on the nightstand, forgetting to rip off the top sheet in her anger. Sleep soon overtook her, bringing with it the nightmares of her days in the lab, and dreams of being back onstage again.   
  
Sometime in the middle of the night Albert became aware of a strange weight and warmth on if chest, looking down he saw her snuggled against his, her head restig on his shoulder. "You're a cuddler." He whispered, then patted her head gently and fell back asleep, feeling oddly warm inside from the encounter with her unguarded self.  
  
Sunlight peirced the cheap curtains, falling across their faces in a clear edged band of light, her eyes opened, feeling like they were burning out of her skull from the light, she rolled over, burrying her nose in Albert's shirt, taking a deep sigh, feeling as though all were right with the world as her eyes closed. 'Wait a minute.' Her conscioness kicked in and her eyes snapped open, realizing where she was and who she was with, she quickly scooted across the bed, finding it curious that there was so much bed left to scoot on. She stood and went to the foot of the bed, finding the answer to that, he was perched on the very edge of the bed, no doubt by her and her bed hogging tendancies.  
  
"I'll let him sleep, but a shower sounds great." She whispered to herself and walked across the room to the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind herself. He awoke a short time later, hearing the sound of running water and looking up to see that she was no longer in the bed beside him. The notepad was still sitting on the night stand, out in the open, so he peered over at it, curious as to what she had been writing last night. He was reading number five when the water shut off, the pad was quickly pushed back into place as he laced his fingers behind his head, laying back down, trying to look at though he hadn't yet moved from bed. The door opened quietly and she emerged, once again wearing nothing but a towel, she looked over toward the bed and saw him, still laying there, but with his eyes wide open. "Morning." He called cheerfully, seeing her out of the corner of his eye. She grimaced and tightened her grip on the towel, then walked over to the nightstand, retrieving the top sheet from the pad, and marching back into the bathroom. He chuckled at her, then began to wonder what she had meant when she wrote 'Find a way to repay Albert.'  
  
She emerged again a short time later, dressed and mostly dry, hacking away at knots in her hair with a cheap plastic comb that she had found in the courtesy basket. He was fairly amused to see that she was by far angrier with her hair than she had ever been at him. A frustrated growl escaped her as she gave up and dropped the comb on the bed. "Would you like help?" He offered, able to see and deal with the knot better than she could, she shot him a a supicious glare, then her shoulders fell as she looked away and picked up the comb. "Please." She said in a barely audible tone handing the comb to him as she scooted back on the bed, within easy reaching distance. He sat up and worked at the knot patiently, freeing it easily within a few minutes, then set into another snarl, freeing it as well, then running the comb through her hair, making sure there were no more tangles for her to deal with. He reached around her, setting the comb back into her hands, seeing her eyes blissfully closed until she felt the touch of the comb on her hand, a jolt of suprise shot through her as she quickly recovered from the euphoria that hair brushing brought. She looked back to see him standing in front of the sink using water to pat his hair back down into place, a sigh escaped her as she reached down and slipped her feet back into her shoes, then grabbed her coat, slipping it back on, throwing her hair over her shoulder to free it.  
  
"Ready to go?" He asked turning around and seeing her sitting on the bed looking bored. Her head shot up, not liking how he keep startling her in the moments when she let her guard down, she gave him a still nod in reply and moved to walk out the door and not even getting a foot outside of it before throwing it closed again and huddling on the bed looking like she'd been electrocuted. An eyebrow shot up his forehead as he wondered what she had jumped at, she looked over at him, her eyes still round with suprise, "Cold, really, really, cold." She whimpered, her hatred for the cold overcoming her defensiveness toward him. He swallowed the laughter that was threatening to explode from him, instead looking down and putting on his shoes, then slipping into his coat and pulling on his gloves. "The heater in my car works very well." He said hiding his grin from her as he pulled his keys out of his pocket and walked over to the door. "Come on." He said warmly as he opened the door and walked outside, she scooted after him, hiding her hands and face in her coat, the only discernable feature her eyes. He opened the door for her and she hopped in quickly as he closed it and went around to his door, opening it and getting in, "This will just take a minute, I have to wait for the engine to warm up." He said turning the car on, flicking on the heater and redirecting the air vents to the floor so he'd know when warm air started coming out.   
  
They made a quick stop at the office, returning the key to their room and then headed back to the interstate, only a few other drivers besides themselves on the road. Her head and arms returned after a little while, though occasional bouts of quivering remained, she stared out the window in fascination, looking at the fences along the interstate lined with some kind of odd looking shiny grey plastic. "What's all that stuff on the fences?" She asked looking over at him, wondering if she was hallucenating it. He looked over and started laughing, "Icicles, why?" He asked with a grin, her eyes rounded, and she looked out the window again, "I've never seen icicles before, I came here from a place where forty five above zero was considered 'do no leave your house' cold." She said, her eyes glazing over at the memory of home.   
  
She remained quiet for a few more hours, just staring straight ahead, blinking occasionally. "Can I ask what's bothering you?" He said breaking the stillness. She blinked and turned away, "Its nothing." She hissed, looking out the window. His hopes that she might finally be treating him like a friend instead of an enemy fell with a resounding thud in his gut, he sighed and turned back to the road, leaving her alone with her thoughts. A blindingly painful memory played itself out behind her eyes, ten years ago, while she still lived with her parents, an argument about where she would go to college at and what she would do for the rest of her life had started again. "You're not going to make it even if you get into a music program, music is nothing!" Her father raged, round face turning a bright shade of red, grey mustache and eyebrows standing out clearly. "Your father is right, there is no future in music, go become a teacher or something safe." Her mother spoke up, the little woman pleading with her. "No! How many times have I got to tell you? I want to become a professional musician, I'm the best in my whole school, I'm the best in the youth orchestra, I can make it!" She yelled back at them, her throat closing in on her at the fact that they weren't listening to her at all. "I don't care! You're going to go to Brown University and become doctor!" He father roared, then turned his back to her. "No I'm not! This is my life, not yours, and I'm going to live it how I want to!" She screamed at him and ran from the room, jumping into her car and driving away before they could stop her.  
  
She had driven to a park across town and sat on the swingset, crying her eyes out until she was drained both physically and emotionally. Long hours passed and still she sat, the sky above fading from bright blue to the heavy ink of night. She finally stood, her legs carrying her back to her car, and from there, home. Her house was oddly dark, no lights were on all throught the house, the telephone was already ringing insanely and she rushed to answer it, "Hello?" She said, curious to know who it was, "This is the Claifornia Highway Patroll mam, are you a relite of a mister Daniel Ikarien and Olivia Ikarien?" The softed voiced officer drawled, "Yes, what happened to them? are they okay?" She asked, panic creeping into her heart. "They were involved in a car accident about two hours ago, they both died on impact, I'm sorry." He said, practiced tone sounding empty and hollow. A numbness coursed through her veins, knowing in her heart that the officer wasn't lying. Funeral services were scheduled a week later, relatives she didn't even know she had came crawling out from the woodwork, eager to get their hands on any peice of the property. "Everything they have in their will is signed over to you." Her father's lawyer said to her, perched behind his desk, "You may do whatever you like with the property, but your father and mother's bank accounts need to be transferred to your name before the week is out, would you like to get that taken care of now?" He asked reaching for a pile of documents, she noded mutely and signed where he instructed, the motion becoming automatic until they last sheet of paper had been signed, "Congratulations, consider yourself the youngest millionaire in the country." He said giving her a hug, the man had been more like a family friend than a hired protector of their investments.  
  
Two weeks later the house had been sold and most of the furniture auctioned off, Yfael rented a large truck and loaded it with everything she had wanted to keep with her, then she called her relatives and let them have at the rest of the house until it remained as an empty shell, devoid of anything she knew from her childhood growing up in it. She drove across the country and both earned and bought her way into the Jiuliard School of music, putting her sorrows behind her and living on music alone. While there, she had met a young man, a dancer, that she had fallen for hard, he paid her some attention, only because she was pretty, but he eventually broke her heart like all the other men in her life. Another accident pulled her out of her depressing slump, giving her a kick in the butt that told her to wake up, there's more to live than heart break. After that she quickly became the star of the music section, graduating with top honors and job offers across the country. "I did things my way." She had said then, not realizing that she had said it now as well. "What was that?" Albert asked looking over at her oddly. She shook her head, ridding herself of the memory, a small tear escaping her eye, "Nothing." She mumbled, brushing the tear away, but he wasn't fooled, he could see the pain in her eyes as clearly as he could see his hand infront of his face.  
  
"Ready for lunch?" Albert asked glancing back over at her, she nodded slowly, still staring out the window, he started looking for an exit ramp and pulled off a little while later, pulling into a restaurant. It had warmed up temperature wise and she walked along quietly, the air playing in her hair as she stared at the trees, all the colors of the foliage capturing her attention. He looked over and saw her stand there, hair streaming around her, cheeks flushed from the cold, standing out from the colorful trees, leaving quite an impression upon the eyes. "Come on." He said gently, breaking the picture, but keeping the memory of it. She looked over at him, closing her eyes and taking a deep sigh of the fresh air, then followed him into the homey little restaurant.   
  
After an oddly quiet lunch, they were back on the road again, nearly home. "Where exactly do you live?" He asked as they crossed the Virginia state line, "A few miles outside of Krueger, almost in the mountains." She said distantly, eyes still not leaving the window. "Huh, that's closer than I had thought, you live near me." The relief clear in his voice at not having to drive further than he thought. She nodded, not paying any attention, feeling saddened that the ride was nearly over, but also a sense of relief that she no longer had to worry about keeping her defences up.  
  
The scene outside the window began to grow more and more familiar as they approached the city, then drove through it. Buildings and stores flashing by, each of them going about the same as always, this gentle city a place that she thought she would never see again. He continued to drive, watching his apartment through his rear view mirror, knowing that he was home and feeling good about it. The city quickly gave way to trees, lining up by the road, looking like giant wooden sentinels, as they stood their unmoving. "There is a road to the right over here, you need to turn on it." She said tonelessly, having mixed emotions about going home. He found the turn and made it, waiting for the next set of directions. The trees ended abruptly, leaving only the burned and charred corpses of trees half standing, arm reaching pleadingly to the sky. Her mouth fell open, "Oh no..." She gasped, unable to see the roof of her house when she should have been able to see it clearly by then. "Keep going." She demanded, the frightened look in her eyes telling him all he needed to know. The car quickly climbed the rest of the charcoal laden trail, coming upon the burned remains of what had once been a house. She jumped out of the car even before it had reached a full stop, leaving her door wide open. He put the car in park and ran in after her, worrying about what might be waiting in the shadows for her.   
  
He found her standing over the burned remains of what had once been a violin case, only the metal hardware and the violin's strings remained. She fell to her knees in the ashes, her back to him, not realizing that he was still there. His heart felt as though someone was trying to peirce it with a spoon when he heard her sobs and saw her shoulders quaking uncontrollably. He walked over quietly and set a hand on her shoulder, kneeling beside her, she pushed him away, "Your job is done here, you can leave." She said coldly, her throat closing in on itself. "It wasn't a job, it was a favor to a friend in need, and I'm still going to help that friend if she'd accept it." He said softly, knowing how much it hurt to return home and find it gone, he slid an arm around her shoulders and she leaned in to him, crying into his shirt, letting long bottled tears flow into the ash covered ground...  
  
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I think I'll stop there for this chapter, that way I still have more ammo to play with next chapeter, and I did promise two explosions, they were emotional explosions, but explosions none the less. Anyone who can guess why, what it was in reference to and what movie the chapter title is from gets a special giftie from me n_~ one entry per person and all three questions must be right X3  
  
Yfael:You're calling me an onion? I KILL YOU NOW! *trades baseball for bazooka*   
  
Leafy: O_O;;; gotta go!! *starts running for the nearest bomb shelter*   
  
Still kidnapped and chair bound 004: e_e;;; 


	5. A Midsummer Night's Fluke

For disclaimer go back to chapter 1  
  
Note to all my readers and especially to my reviewers: I love you all, and thank you for your support and opinions n_n  
  
Leafy: O_O;;; *is now sightly charred and tied to a chair behind Albert*  
  
Yfael: Good, now that she's out of the way there can finally be some peace around here *smirks* but sadly the show must go on, if she's lucky, she'll live through it *glares over shoulder*   
  
Leafy: *looks back innocently* 3   
  
Yfael: O_o I don't like that look.... well, anyway, on with the show e_e;;;  
  
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Albert had dragged a reluctant Yfael from the charred remains of what had once been her home, taking her back to his sky high apartment. Her eyes were bloodshot and painfully red rimmed as she watched him move around his apartment, cleaning it up a little bit, not used to having company. "You didn't have to do this." She said softly, her voice hoarse from her outburst. He stoped and looked at her, "You're right, I didn't have to, but I did, so just sit tight." He said feeling slightly exasperated, but understanding none the less. She sighed and lowered her eyes to the couch she was curled up on, a midnight blue, nearly black velour fabric covered the overstuffed cushions, making it impressive, yet functional at the same time. A matching recliner sat next to it, beside the recliner a small pedestal, curving and twisting vines delicately supporting a thin obsidian colored glass disk. Violet peacock feathers in backlit glass sconces gave the room a greater sense of height while a large painting of a black dragon, silver eyes glowing softly as it surveyed its territory sat over the couch. He disappeared into the hallway for a moment and came back out, carrying a large afghan, and handing it to her, "I thought you might be cold." He said noticing that the temperature in his house was abnormally low. "Thanks." She said taking it and snuggling up under the smooth creamy woolen creation.   
  
He went back to work clearing out the guest bedroom, a collection of boxes had been put up on the bed, all containing various papers with hand drawn sketches from local artists, a few by himself, and some old sheet music. Each of the boxes found a home in the closet, not taking up too much room, but enough to annoy. His eyes fell on an unused upright piano in the corner of the room, remembering a time not so long ago when he used to play, but the heart for cheerful music had gone out of him, while requiems and balads only covered so much emotion. He lovingly dusted off the top of the piano, revealing the unspoiled deep mahogany varnished wood underneath, then sighed and began to remake the bed, knowing that the old linens that had covered it were stale smelling and starchy by now. That done he surveyed the room, it was clean, quiet and comfortable, but cold and completely impersonal. He frowned at that, then shrugged and walked back out to the living room.  
  
She had curled up on the couch in a fetal position, her hands covering her head, trying to release tension to ward off an oncoming migrane. His soft footsteps alerted her of his prescense and she looked up at him to see him looking at her oddly, "Do you have any headache or migrane medicine? I'm starting to get a migrane." She said sullenly, knowing it was caused by too much stress in a short period of time. "I don't, but I can run out and get you something, is there anything you take specifically?" He asked softly, knowing the sensativity to both light and sound migranes brought. "I'm not partial to anything, just hurry." She said feeling a stab of pain go through her head, then added as an afterthought, "Please." He nodded and turned off all the lights in the room, leaving as quietly as he could, feeling sympathetic for her migrane predicament, he used to get them occasionally as well before being turned into a cyborg.   
  
The migrane had set in, making her writhe with pain occasionally, then deal with nausea every time she moved, an endless dance of misery. He was true to his word, returning a few minutes later with the medicine and a bottle of gingerale, knowing the gingerale helped calm one's stomach. He quickly poured her a glass and opened the box, removing a pair of foil covered pills, opening them halfway for her. She took the pills greatfully, and forced down half the ale, her stomach decidedly trying to stop her. "Thank you." She said opening her eyes for a few moments to look at him, then they fell closed again as a wave of nausea swept through her, and she kicked herself, this man was her savoir, now this was time number three, and she still couldn't treat him decently. He grabbed a book off a shelf in the hallway and sat on the recliner, wanting to be near to keep an eye on her, or to be there in case she needed help. Within half an hour the meds had kicked in, bringing a blissful end to the pain, with a sigh she relaxed on the couch, streching comfortably and opening her eyes. She could see him sitting on the recliner, feet propped up comfortably, holding a book on his lap, turning the pages slowly. A smile almost escaped at how 'right' he looked there, but she forced it back, knowing that he probably hated her by now, 'With my attitude, who wouldn't?' She thought bitterly and sighed again. Albert looked over, seeing her eyes open and her brows no longer clenched in pain, "Feeling better?" He asked gently, setting his book down, she looked back at him, "For the time being, yes, thanks." She said with a half grin at him and sat up slowly, feeling a bit of vertigo at the transition.  
  
"Gotta love migranes." She mumbled bitterly to herself as he bumped around the kitchen heating up some soup for her. Another sigh escaped her as she leaned into the couch, wanting nothing more than her violin or her cello to hold on to. The soup heated up quickly and he ladled it into two bowls, then set the bowls on the table by a large window that offered a spectatular view of the city, especially at night. "Ready to eat?" He asked coming back into the living room, she gave a slight start, then relaxed and nodded, slightly angry at herself that he had caught her off guard. The dining room was tiny, but the apartment belonged to a bachelor and made up for itself with a breath taking view of the city, "Wow..." She sighed looking out the window in open mouthed awe. The lights twinkled softly in all colors as the moon peered out over a mountain ridge in the distance. "I should have gotten an apartment here instead of the house, that view is amazing!" She commented as she sat, eyes still glued to the window. He nodded, "That's the main reason I bought it, that and the location, it was just too good to pass up." He said as he joined her, stirring his soup absently. She carefully sipped a spoonful of the gently steaming liquid, thrilled to find that it wasn't too hot, but warm enough to make her feel as though she had been dipped into a warm bath. "You make canned soup very well, I always found a way to burn it." She said half jokingly. He chuckled, "Thanks, it took a lot of practice, but Chang taught me how to cook, I can make a home made version of this, but it would have taken longer." He said with a grin, proud to be able to cook and do it well.   
  
As he washed their dishes, she remained unmoving from the window, watching the moon as it slowly rose higher into the sky, and the lights from the buildings below began to dim. A yawn escaped her and she stretched her arms toward the ceiling, then clasped her hands behind her back, lifting slowly until her shoulders let out a series of loud pops and she sighed with satisfaction, the bent over backwards to pop her back, able to see him watching her with an odd expression on his face, "Doesn't that hurt?" He asked drying his hands on a towel. "No, not at all, I can pop your back too if you'd like, I took a class on massage therapy as a side course in college so I wouldn't get burned out on music." She said as she stood up straight again. He thought about her offer for a long mement, "If you'd like to then I won't decline." He said with a grin, she shook her head, hiding a grin on her own lips, "Fine, then, follow me." She said walking out to the living room, "Lay face down on the floor, trust me please, its easier this way, and more comfortable for us both." She said with a shudder at the other ways it could be done.  
  
He looked at her skeptically, but did as she said, she knelt beside him and ran a hand up his spine, mapping out the sections mentally, then pressed the heel of her hand against the first section, "Ok, now inhale all the way, you want to fill your diaphram." She said listening to the slightly muffled sound of him inhaling, "Good, now exhale." She said, applying pressure with the heel of her hand, hearing and feeling the satisfied pop of the vertebrae under her hand, she slid her hand down to the next section and did the same thing, continuing to the last section. "Can you feel the difference?" She asked as she ran a hand across his shoulders, feeling the extreme tenseness of the muscles there. "Uh huh." He sighed lazily, a goofy grin plastered to his face, "Good, now sit up with your back to me, I'm going to make you even more comfortable." She said, feeling happy that she had found something she could do for him that he appreciated. He did as she told him without asking why and waited, curious to see what she'd do next. Her hands gently slid onto his shoulders, rubbing away the long built up tenseness that was there, as he moaned softly under her touch. "Feel good?" She asked softly, noteing his relaxed posture. He nodded, "If you keep that up I'm not sure what will happen first, I fall asleep, or become fatally addicted to your back rubs." He purred happily as she ran first her nails up and down his back, then her hands, ending the sensory overload for him. "You're really good at that." He said looking over at her as she slowly popped her fingers.  
  
"I didn't plan on making it my life's work, so I haven't been practicing, its nice to know though that I still have the touch." She said with a sad grin, remembering that her life's work had burned along with her house. He caught one of her hands in his, startling her as she raised her eyes to his, "So what did you do before all this?" He asked, the question startling her as much as his hand on hers. "I was a muscian, trained from a young age by a private tutor because my mother thought every proper young lady should have some kind of musical background, but she hadn't counted on my fallng in love with it. I went to Juliard against their wishes and moved here because it was the best offer." She said dropping her gaze, remembering the events that had lead up to her success. He nodded, noticing the pain in her eyes, "What happened?" He asked startling her, "What do you mean?" She asked, wondering how he seemed to know. "Your eyes give you away." He grinned warmly, watching as her eyes grew round in suprise, the closed as she snorted. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're right." She whispered, not wanting to admit if fully to herself. "Go ahead, talk, I'll listen." He said encouragingly, thrilled that she seemed to finally begin to accept him. She looked at him and sighed, steeling herself before she began.   
  
She told him everything, about the multiple fights they had had, the night she walked out, and the car wreck that had killed her parents. He sat there, listening intently, afraid that if he said anything she'd stop speaking and refuse to continue. "I still blame myself for their deaths, if I hadn't walked out they'd still be alive today." She whispered, looking at her hands in her lap, covered by his large hand, he frowned and brought his hand from her lap to her chin, making her look at him, "Its not your fault that they died, its not like you planned it or something, it was an accident and couldn't be helped. You need to stop living in the past, living in the present is hard enough without your past bogging you down." He said and grinned at her, seeing a light come on in her eyes, "You're right." She said softly, and gave him a sad grin in return, contemplating what he had said as she moved her chin, accidentally brushing her cheek across it in the process, a jolt shot down her spine at the contact, her eyes opening wide out of suprise. He noticed this, and experimentally brushed his fingers across her cheek, her breath stopping and her eyes widening at the sensations from that simple touch shooting through her. A blush rose in her cheeks as she turned back to look at him, her contemplative train of thought having completely disrailed and bounced down a mountain, exploding into flames at the bottom. His hand cupped her cheek gently, a warm grin playing upon his lips as her eyes closed slowly, her hand coming up and resting on top of his, as she pulled his hand away, one of his fingers trailing down her neck, causing her to shiver visably and her breath to catch in her throat. She released his hand and reached up, running her fingertips delicately along his cheekbone, his eyes closing and his grin becoming wider as long dormant emotions began to awaken with a simple touch as her palm brushed against the rest cheek. A knock at the door shattered the moment into a thousand tiny fragments.   
  
He took a deep sigh and went over to answer the door, seeing his elderly next door neighbor Mrs Palmer on the other side, "What will it be this time? Flour or sugar?" He asked knowing the routine by heart, she was always running out of one or the other, and supplying him with baked goods whenever she borrowed something. "Just flour this time dear." She said with a smile and waited patiently while he disappeared into the house, fetching some flour and dumping it into a plastic bag, returning quickly to the door, Yfael having moved from the floor to the couch watched him with a smile on her face as he quickly assured the little woman that he didn't need any cookies tonight and closed the door, leaning on it with a sigh. "She seems nice." Yfael speculated teasingly, watching the tension drain from him, "Sorry about that, she always picks the most inopportune moments to drop by." He said setting himself on the couch next to her, she grinned at him and shook her head, leaning against him comfortably as he set his arm across her shoulders. After a little while he became aware of movement from her and looked down to see one of her tiny hands touching his mechanical one curiously as it lay on his lap. He withdrew it and shoved it into his pocket, not being fond of that particular body part in the least, she looked up at him, this time compassion showing in her eyes, "Its ok, in fact, I find it fascinating, they used a different type of technology on me, I can feel the metal in my hands and arms, but I can't see it, only scars, and it frightens me." She admitted meekly, "But at least you know what you have and how to use it, my reaction yesterday was completely reflexive, I didn't know what I had done until afterwards. I'm sorry." She said looking down at her hands, he thought about what she had said for a moment and took his hand back out of his pocket, taking her hand with it. She turned her gaze back to him with a smile playing on her lips as she looked up at him smiling in return. Another knock sounded at the door, breaking the moment once again as he growled and got up to answer it.   
  
"Hey man, I was flying over and decided to ask if I could crash here for the night." Jet said standing on the stoop, looking up at Albert with a grin. He sighed and nodded, moving out of the doorway and allowing Jet in as he closed and locked the door. Jet looked over at Yfael oddly as he saw her sitting innocently on the couch, he turned back to Albert, "Are you sure its ok to stay? I can go elsewhere if you'd like." Jet offered, thinking that the girl was already at home where she belonged. "Its fine." Albert said raising a hand, "We were about to turn in anyway, you know where everything is, help yourself, but I warn you, if I come back out in the morning and all my food is gone I'm blasting you the rest of the way home." He threatened jokingly and motioned for Yfael to follow him. "Good night." She said pleasantly to Jet as he stood there dumbfounded, yesterday she had tried to kill him, now they were sharing a room? "Night guys." He called back, wondering exactly what Albert had done, and if he'd teach him how to do it.  
  
She followed Albert to his room as he ushered her in and closed the door, she was faintly suprised to see that the decor in his bedroom matched the decor in the living room almost perfectly. A king sized bed sat in the middle of the room, covered in shades of blue and solid blacks, "Did you pay someone to decorate? Or did you do it yourself?" She asked walking forther into the room, he laughed as he walked up behind her, "I paid someone, I just gave him a few colors and let him have at the house." He said setting his hands on her shoulders, she flinched, having not expected it, but relaxed within a few seconds. "If you'd like you can take a shower, and I'll lend you something to sleep in." He offered stepping away and over to his closet, pulling out a slightly old but very large t-shirt, "I'll just take the shirt." She said softly and hid a yawn with the palm of her hand. He brought the shirt over to her and showed her to the bathroom so she could change while he changed as well, into long black pants, leaving his chest bare, used to sleeping like this. She changed quickly and inhaled deeply of the shirt, smelling the clean, slightly woodsy fragrance of the detergent he used and grinned to herself as she folded her clothes and stepped out of the bathroom, finding most of the lights in his room had been turned off, with the exception a pair of small matched lamps on the night stands to either side of the bed. "I'll take your clothes." He said, gently, trying not to startle her, she handed her clothes over and watched as he set them on a nearby dresser, unable to take her eyes off of his torso, watching the way his muscles moved, robotic parts hardly noticeable. She was finaly able to tear her eyes away from him as she moved toward the far side of the bed, sliding into the luxiourious silk sheets with a sigh and watching as he came around to the other side of the bed and slid in beside her, reaching up and flicking a switch on the wall hidden by the headboard, enveloping them in total darkness. She felt his arms come out to her and she smiled in the darkness, scooting over into his warm embrace, feeling protected and secure, "Good night." She whispered and closed her eyes, falling asleep within moments to the sound of is heart beating.  
  
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Leafy: The fun is not over yet n_n I've got them up to snuggling and nearly kissing, but not quite XD   
  
Yfael: *comes over to try and get Leafy back into her straight jacket*  
  
Leafy: Yipe! *pulles out super industrial cattle prod, because its a girl's best friend* Ha ha! Have at you! *hops at Yfael threateningly*   
  
Yfael: e_e;;; *grabs the prod and breaks it in half*   
  
Leafy: O_O *starts running, and grabs chair-bound Albert* Come Patsy!  
  
Albert: o_o;;; You're got to be kidding...  
  
Yfael: Get back here you pansy! *chases after them*   
  
Can you tell I watched Monty Python n_n;;; stay tuned for the next chapter, A Tale of Two Coffee Beans n__n 


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